Start Here: The World's Best Business Growth & Consulting Book: Business Growth Strategies from The World's Best Business Coach

By Clay Clark

NEVER before has entrepreneurship been delivered in an UNFILTERED, real and raw way…until now. This book is NOT for people that want a politically correct and silver-lined happy-go-lucky view of entrepreneurship. That’s crap. Supported by case studies and testimonials from entrepreneurs that have grown their businesses all

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thrive Edutainment, LLC
• Release date: Sep 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9780998443546

Clay Clark

Clay is the former U.S. SBA Entrepreneur of the Year and the founder of Thrive15.com. Over the course of his career, he has been a founding team member of many companies including www.DJConnection.com, www.EITRLounge.com, www.MakeYourLifeEpic.com, www.Thrive15.com, www.EpicPhotosTulsa.com (Dallas, Oklahoma City, etc.). He and his companies have been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Entrepreneur, PandoDaily, Bloomberg TV, Bloomberg Radio, the Entrepreneur's On Fire Podcast, the So Money Podcast with Farnoosh Torabi and on countless media outlets. He's been the speaker of choice of Hewlett-Packard, Maytag University, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Valspar Paint, Farmers Insurance and countless other companies. He is the father of choice for his and his wife Vanessa's five kids and is the proud owner of 38 chickens, six ducks, four cats, and two Great Pyrenees dogs (at last count). Clay is an obsessive New England Patriots fan and Tim Tebow apologist. He wears a basketball jersey every day and enjoys reading business case studies and autobiographies about successful entrepreneurs when not chasing his kids and his wife around. @TheClayClark

Book preview

Section 1

Do You Need a Business Coach?

The advice that sticks out I got from John Doerr, who in 2001 said, My advice to you is to have a coach." The coach he said I should have is Bill Campbell. I initially resented the advice, because after all, I was a CEO. I was pretty experienced. Why would I need a coach? Am I doing something wrong? My argument was, How could a coach advise me if I’m the best person in the world at this? But that’s not what a coach does. The coach doesn’t have to play the sport as well as you do. They have to watch you and get you to be your best. In the business context a coach is not a repetitious coach. A coach is somebody who looks at something with another set of eyes, describes it to you in [his] words, and discusses how to approach the problem.

Once I realized I could trust him and that he could help me with perspective, I decided this was a great idea. When there is [a] business conflict you tend to get rat-holed into it. [Bill’s] general advice has been to rise one step higher, above the person on the other side of the table, and to take the long view. He’ll say, You’re letting it bother you. Don’t.

- Eric Schmidt

(An American software engineer, a businessperson, and the Executive Chairman of Alphabet, Inc. In 2016, Forbes ranked Schmidt as the 100th-richest person in the world, with an estimated wealth of US $11.6 billion.)

1.1 What Are You Actually Going to Learn?

In this powerful book, Clay Clark, the founder of Thrive15.com, former U.S. Small Business Administration Entrepreneur of the Year, and a man who has successfully coached clients in practically every industry imaginable (bakers, cosmetic surgeons, consultants, dentists, gym owners, lawyers, online retailers, personal trainers, real estate professionals, retailers, neurologists, speakers, etc.) will show you how to overcome the obstacles, limiting beliefs, and system failures that nearly every business owner encounters along the way. In this book, you’ll learn how to:

» Build a duplicable and scalable business model capable of working without you.

» Systematically enhance each aspect of your business to greatly reduce costs and to dramatically increase profits.

» Build systems that are scalable and sellable (meaning that somebody else would actually want to buy your business someday).

» Discover your company’s hidden opportunities and lowest hanging fruit for quick growth.

» Enhance both the cash flow and workflow of your business.

» Receive bonus – and unsolicited – parenting tips from a man raising five kids and 38 chickens while he participates in the ownership, equity, and systems enhancement of nine different businesses.

1.2 Are You Going to Use a GPS or Spend Your Time Chronically Lost?

Clay has written this book with the stated goal of providing people with the world’s most POWERFUL AND EFFICIENT BUSINESS BOOK EVER (while at the same time, demonstrating his humility). This book provides you with a step-by-step guide that you can refer to time and time again and that will serve as your virtual business GPS and navigation system. Back in the day before global positioning systems had become available on every smartphone and before Clay had enough disposable cash to fill up the gas tank on his Hummer whenever he wanted, he used to get so lost that he would occasionally run into Yoda and every other wise hermit seeking to escape the world by moving to the outskirts of humanity. But when GPS became readily available, he now had a choice. Was he going to allow billion-dollar, precise and proven satellite technology to guide him to his desired destinations, or was he going to be a jackass? He chose to be a jackass for six more months, then he started using a GPS after his sanity was called into question. You have that same choice today. Will you follow a proven system or be a jackass?

Clay Clark is the founder of Thrive15.com and a former U.S. Small Business Administration Entrepreneur of the Year. He has been the speaker of choice for many of America’s largest companies including Hewlett Packard, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Valspar Paint, Maytag University, Oxi Fresh, and many others. Clay and his businesses have been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Bloomberg and countless other media outlets. Clay, his wife, his five kids, his 38 chickens and his six ducks all live in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Vanessa and Clay Clark and their 5 children:

Angelina, Scarlett, Laya, Aubrey, and Havana.

1.3 Results from Implementers and Doers (Just Like You)

Our experience working with Clay Clark and his team has been nothing short of amazing. When our team first met Clay, I expressed that if we were able to move the needle and get results, we would be working together for a very long time. Clay and his team listened to our problems and custom built a program specifically for us. So far this season, we have experienced a 42% increase in corporate sponsorship sales, a 10% increase in season ticket sales and over a 103% increase in group tickets sales! We have also had a 21% increase in people actually attending the games thus resulting in a 27% increase in concession and novelty sales. Our program focused on search engine optimization, an increased social media presence, targeted online ads, digital retargeting ads, and the implementation of the Dream 100 system. Beyond that, Clay’s team redesigned our website making it more visually appealing and user friendly for our online visitors by creating a dynamic visual experience. Our slogan for Tulsa Oilers hockey is ‘Feel The Boom’; thanks Clay for giving us that BOOM!

Taylor Hall

Tulsa Oilers | General Manager | www.tulsaoilers.com

Proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Winnipeg Jets

Clay is very engaging, very charming and very humorous and his presentation had a very practical side too. As a speaker, he teaches you things that you can use to make yourself more successful and your business more successful. But perhaps more significantly, he has that genuine enthusiasm. After I listened to his presentation, it was like an emotional springboard. It was one of the best presentations I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen Jack Canfield and I’ve seen Tony Robbins, and I can tell you that Clay made a far greater impact on me than any of those other speakers, as great as they are and as great as they were at that time.

Lance Dawson

Mortgage Broker

www.mortgagearchitects.ca

Vision without execution is hallucination.

- Thomas Edison

(American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the long-lasting, practical electric light bulb.)

You certainly were the on-site leader that we needed for this calling campaign. By watching you work with these students and seeing the result, I became reassured that hiring you to do exactly what you did was the right thing to do. Your team brought in over $120K in gifts and pledges, which may be an all-time ORU phonathon record! But I’ll have more for you later. I smile to think how funny you were and what a GREAT job you did for us. Again, thanks for everything....and don’t drink too much Red Bull!

Jesse D. Pisors, B.A. (1996) M.A. (2005)

Director of Alumni & Ministerial Relations and Annual Fund

Oral Roberts University

I had the pleasure of working with Mr. Clark in 2010 when I managed over 2.2 million square feet of downtown office and retail space. I can recommend him highly and without reservation. I had hired Mr. Clark to rebrand the portfolio and reach out to prospective tenants. Throughout the course of the campaign, Mr. Clark was a consummate professional. He conducted market research, built a website, and coordinated obtaining pictures, print materials, and gaining media attention within what I would deem record time. Within the first week of Mr. Clark going public with the campaign, he generated hundreds of prospective tenants. Mr. Clark’s positive attitude is contagious, he is hard worker, and he is genuinely a great guy to work with. I hope that in the near future I will have the opportunity to work with Mr. Clark again.

David Atkinson

One Place, LLC | 120 W. 3rd Street | Tulsa, OK 74103

I own Facchianos Bridal and Formal attire and have had to pay thousands of dollars in the past to have websites built that were subpar and not what I needed for my business, until Clay taught me how to do it myself. Now my company website comes up on the search engines in the first three searches. It has changed my business overnight on how many times our phone rings. It can change the life of your business to be in control of your website.

Jennifer Thompson

Owner/Bridal Stylist | Facchianos Bridal and Formal Attire

The attendees all left with pages and pages of takeaways. They really enjoyed the energy, and the SPECIFIC ACTION POINTS you gave everybody. You and our Accounting Presenter got top marks. You really made this year’s training EPIC.

Anitra Nichols

Maytag University | 100 S. Anaheim Blvd. Suite #250 | Anaheim, CA 92805

We’ve gone into overdrive to get Brenda trained. We’ve had a record month!! We’ve collected $60,000. We have quite a bit pending insurance as well. Can’t wait to finish all the numbers!! That’s awesome! Thank you, Clay, for all that you do! We had over 30 leads in March alone!

Jennifer Cushman

Office Manager | Face & Body Cosmetic Surgery and Medical Spa | www.FaceandBody.net

You single-handedly saved this event (Tulsa Sports Charity Fundraisers for Hall of Fame Basketball Coach Eddie Sutton)…. He also asked if they could do an ‘Eddie’s Worst Scowl’ contest with the TV stations, and I thought he would love that… I think they are now drinking from your Kool Aid!!!

Stephen E. Sutton

Vice President of Spirit Bank | Public Sector / Financial Associations Portfolio Manager

In terms of our website, we weren’t even on Google and now we are the top in Google search results. Already 70 kids signed up for camp. Could have 80-90 before it’s over. The site really gives us a big time look. I’m happy with it.

Don Calvert

Founder of Score Basketball | ScoreBBall.com

We were able to move to the top of Google searches in the competitive mortgage Internet search category, we got featured on the news twice and we closed nearly 35% more loans within the first six months. The contact management system, search engine strategy and PR system you set up are producing results. Our only issue now is scaling. Let’s talk.

Adnan Sheikh

Founder | President | ZFG Mortgage | www.ZFGMortgage.com

Clay, you have helped me from day one to be a better leader of my family and my business through the passion you bring to both! Thank you, sir. I’ve applied some of the philosophies from your awesome book, Make Your Life Epic to my LegalShield business and they have helped me achieve the top spot in the state... THANK YOU for your leadership.

Robert Johnson

Legal Shield

So far we’ve generated $63,600 of additional annual gross revenue as a result of the ACCESS plan you helped us create. We are closing in on $10K in monthly revenue. I just signed up an additional ACCESS client and it’s the 2nd one that I’ve landed in the last 30 days from LinkedIn. And the only thing I’m doing on LinkedIn is the Myth versus Law and the Legal Mumbo Jumbo. I’m not doing any other activity. So that appears to really be working in that medium. So I’m making $850 a month off of my free LinkedIn subscription. So I’m kind of excited. So I just wanted to let you know that some of what we are doing is working.

Scott Reib

Attorney at Law | ReibLaw.com

Great flexibility substituting for another speaker. Good job. The ‘winning work’ got highest marks from 44 of 56 survey respondents.

John E. Trubey

Senior Analyst U.S. Government Accountability Office | Dallas, Texas

"Hi Clay. You have no idea how you blessed me with our conversation and the book recommendations. When I was in Tulsa, the Brazilian government made a sudden change in the regulations for the housing market that drove a lot of people out of business.

"We pretty much had to reinvent our business to survive. February through June were not fun... However, God blessed us and we were able to survive and prosper. We have now about 20 employees working on three different construction sites. The principles in the books you recommended and the ones I ‘caught’ during our conversation have helped me a lot!

I often tell my wife: ‘If Clay Clark can run five businesses, then why can’t I run a business and a ministry?’ You have been an inspiration! Thanks my friend!

Rubens Cunha

Brazilian Missionary

Clay Clark has been instrumental throughout in providing me with business guidance at the right times! He has moved both of my companies to the top of Google searches and helped me to be featured in countless media outlets and publications. I have a big vision in what God has called me to do and sometimes as an entrepreneur you can dream so big that you can lose focus. With three successful companies, I knew that it was time for growth and sustainability so that we could reach the people that we needed to reach. I truly believe that God brings certain people into your life at certain times and I thank God for bringing Clay at a time of need. Clay has been instrumental in combining his business savvy with my big vision. The bottom line is that I am in business to help people...but I am also in business to make money, and that is what Clay has helped me do! If you are considering bringing Clay on for anything business related, it will be the best investment you ever make.

Jonathan Conneely

Coach JC | Founder / President, JJC Enterprises

Wow. Wow. Wow. Thank you for your input and for working so hard for me behind the scenes while we were back and forth for this (for the TV show, The Voice). I’m humbled and overwhelmed with gratitude. So glad to know you and your sweet family. Thanks for believing in me!

Amanda Preslar

Founder of PreslarMusic.com

Clay, I just want you to know that this last year has been unbelievable. I’ve gone from poverty thinking to just a small measure of wealth thinking and, as the book said, the universe has discovered me!!! I’ve never felt so free! I truly have become what T. Harv Eker calls, ‘a money magnet’! And it’s only the beginning. We have seven revenue streams now and each of them are growing and contributing daily. Thank you Clay Clark! My life is expanding and you have been a major influence on me! Have a great day, my friend!

Clay Staires

Professional Speaker/Trainer and Growth Expert

The Leadership Initiative | www.claystaires.com

Thank you so much for all your hard work and success on this campaign. We have raised over $100,000 for the WPS (matched)! Thank you!

Yvette Webb

Development Event Coordinator | Oral Roberts University

Clay is a force to be reckoned with. He is a contagious, mind-expanding, ‘get off your blessed assurance’ motivating business coach that is positively changing my world and soon to be the whole world.

Tim Redmond, CEO

Redmond Growth Initiatives | www.RedmondGrowth.com

Best emcee and entertainer we have ever used. From the time the first guest walked into the room until the last guest left, you electrified the room with your energy! Thank you for taking our event to the NEXT LEVEL (as you like to say)!

Angie W.

Event Planning Team | 11th Annual Zenith Awards | Apartment Association

Thanks for all your help last year; we’ve done a lot of work, reading and investing and the results are truly amazing. Our best staff ever, continuous increases, and overall happiness like never before (and yes more profitable than we’ve been in years, and while in a down economy)! I feel like we now have entirely new understanding on the importance of culture in the workplace. Do you have any more books you could recommend?! Thanks again Clay!

Dave Bauer

www.mymaytagstore.com

I have come to realize that foundational sales principles work, regardless of what you’re selling. I work at a coffee shop and my boss told me ‘Hey, we really need to sell more coffee beans.’ So I started employing the creative use of imagery, humor, phrasing and tried and true sales methods taught to me by Clay Clark and the book he recommended I read, Soft Selling in a Hard World. I made posters describing the different coffees with funny pop culture references along with legitimate consumer reviews of each coffee. I also began using ‘the 90-second close.’ Our store shot up to the spot of #1 in whole bean sales out of 613 stores in our entire region. Not only that, but we are averaging 5 pounds sold out of every 100 customers that come into the store, whereas the average store in the US sees 1 to 1.5 pounds sold per every 100 customers that come in. These numbers don’t lie and they just point to the fact that a proper training in sales by someone who knows what they are doing and who has a track record to prove it can make you succeed in sales in whatever business realm you find yourself in, even the coffee shop business.

Scott T.

Store Manager & Barista | Starbucks Coffee

I’m getting lots of referral traffic from Facebook and social media. My website and biz cards look awesome. The $50 referral program is working great and I have my templates for responding to emails and my sales pitch down pat.

Dominick Cooper

Founder of Launch Academy | http://launchacademytulsa.com/

Loved the seminar, off the charts! My cheekbones hurt from laughing. Thank you for the books! Digging deep for WOW ideas!

Linda Patti

Patient Consultant | Body Contour Center

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Visit: www.Thrive15.com/YourBusinessSystems

NOTE: Watch more testimonials from people just like you who’ve gone from surviving to thriving as a result of implementing the proven strategies, systems and processes found within this book at www.Thrive15.com/SuccessStories

Foreward

FOREWARD

Some authors don’t need a Hype Man. But until he’s famous, Clay does.

As I listened to my introduction by former United States Supreme Court Judge Sandra Day O’Connor, I was literally pinching myself. No one knew better than I that I could have failed. Instead, I had become a businessman and an author; thus my reason for being in the nation’s capital. I was standing in the James Madison Room in the Library of Congress where after my introduction, I would give a lecture on my recently released book, Eight Habits of the Heart. It all seemed surreal.

I had grown up in the Mississippi Delta during the era of legal segregation when fieldwork was the industry of choice offered me. Somehow I had managed to THRIVE when merely surviving would have been just as acceptable. Early on in my young life I had gravitated toward an entrepreneurial way of thinking—a way of thinking that quite frankly took me out of the norm of many of my peers and placed me on a path to success. I graduated from high school as first in my class when many of my peers were simply dropping out—oftentimes due to the circumstances beyond their control. My thinking dictated my actions.

After a successful stint in the United States Air Force—the 89th Presidential Wing - that same way of thinking followed me to Oklahoma. It led to my early involvement with a small Oklahoma oil field company where one of the partners invented the Stairmaster Exercise System and many years later, it led me to be an investor in one of Oklahoma’s more successful de novo banks. Clay Clark understands this way of thinking and feels compelled to share its value with others.

Clay Clark’s passionate book is about what is possible for our lives. Clay is a man I have known since he was a very young boy. I watched him grow up and quite frankly over the last decade or so, achieve beyond my wildest thoughts. Looking back at my own life and the obvious limitations I faced, I should have known that if you plan, focus, and head in the right direction, you will get to your destination. I watched Clay do this, as did all of Tulsa and now beyond. I remember when not even thirty years of age, just a young guy with a growing DJ business, he threw his hat in the Tulsa mayoral race. Had this been Glen Allan, Mississippi, my hometown of less than five hundred people—and many not voting, I could have understood this. We never had a mayor, and with his gift of conversation, he probably could have been elected in my Delta hometown. But this was Tulsa, Oklahoma, where former mayors had cut their teeth in the oil industry and held family names that were well known. That little fact didn’t seem to bother Clay. He passed out his red, white and blue stuff with a flashing smile. He was in the race. It was then that I realized that he was in control of his destiny and was driven by his own internal dreams for himself. I never forgot his courage to do so. In this book, he reminds us all of the courage we have and in so doing, he takes away every excuse not to act courageously on our own behalf…to THRIVE, if you will.

This book is Clay’s conversation—the written word of his life and his beliefs. While reading the manuscript, I could see and hear him talking aloud and flashing that smile—that I am sure he’ll one day find a way to market. He doesn’t believe in the underutilization of talents and gifts—a flashing smile notwithstanding. He has been recognized nationally by the White House as Oklahoma’s Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year. And he still hasn’t reached that seasoned age of forty. He has learned to leverage his business acumen and finds himself in multiple successful business partnerships. So I was not surprised at all when he set out to launch THRIVE UNIVERSITY—the place to get what you need to know to get you where you want to go. Those are his words. This book, though, extends his winning talks beyond sold-out conferences to thousands more nationwide and around the world. And through his THRIVE UNIVERSITY, he will open up passageways for others to live beyond the just surviving mentality. He celebrates success wherever it is found. He understands the hard work and dedication required. He really does admire Napoleon Hill and fills his life with his actionable quotes. They are all through this book. As I look at Clay’s success and his larger than life vision for his future, he is well on his way to emulating the man he so admires and quite frankly, placing himself in a similar position of being admired and quoted as his life and businesses continue to THRIVE.

Oftentimes, people offering advice simply trust that the message is understood and then move on; not Clay Clark. He is committed to being in your face for your success. Not afraid of repetitious conversation and in-your-face humor, he is committed to each reader getting the message and more importantly, implementing the actions steps set forth in this book and those voiced at THRIVE15.com. To embrace and implement the action steps in this book or from THRIVE15.com is the much-needed precursor to implementing the action steps around your big idea. This man gets emotional over your business success—maximizing your talents and potential. He remembers his dorm-room start and fully celebrates yours. Quoting Clay, My friend, as you can tell by now, running a successful business is about so much more than just having a ‘big idea.’ Your ‘big idea’ is important, but the overwhelming majority of what will make your business succeed or fail has little to do with the ‘big idea’ itself and everything to do with the execution of the ‘big idea.’ Clay leaves us no doubt that action on our part matters. His life as well as his insightful consulting encounters are a clear window through which we can look and see what is possible in many of our lives if one is willing to put in the time and effort necessary to turn ideas into reality. Clay clearly points out that our want to becomes the driver of our actions or lack of actions.

Yes, I could have failed had I not embraced the notion that execution of a plan mattered. Clay is right. His life challenges us to not settle, but to THRIVE. In so doing, we place ourselves in a position to light the darkness for others. It is in our reach to others that we truly maximize our existence on this planet. If I were still home in the Delta doing the same thing, I doubt seriously if I would be able to light the pathway for myself or others. Today I am lighting the darkness as a businessman and writer, telling others what is possible for their lives. Clay’s passionate plea for others to move beyond merely surviving comes from an honest place of caring. Why fail when you can THRIVE? Thank you, Clay, for not being afraid to step out beyond the ordinary and for inviting us along on your remarkable journey.

Clifton L. Taulbert

President of The Building Community Institute | Bestselling author of Once Upon A Time...

When We Were Colored (which was later turned into a major motion picture of the same name) | Pulitzer-Nominated Author

Clifton Taulbert (Best-selling author, award-winning entrepreneur and man who was once not allowed to walk in through the front door or banks as a results of legal segregation who went on to open up his own bank)

Books are like eggs. Sometimes you have to crack them open to get anything out.

- Clifton Taulbert

(He is best known for his books Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored and Eight Habits of the Heart: Embracing the Values that Build Strong Communities. Taulbert offers courses in Character Education and Building Strong School Communities through Knowledge Delivery Systems, an online resource for educators. A former Oklahoma Banker, Taulbert is president and founder of The Freemount Corporation, a consulting company focused on human capital development and organizational effectiveness. Since the founding of the company, his philosophy has been embraced by such companies as Lockheed Martin, Bank of America, Baxter Healthcare, Pacific Coast Gas, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and K-12 and post-secondary academic leadership around the world-from China to the Mississippi Delta.)

Section 2

2.1 Introduction

Today I’m known as the founder of Thrive15.com, the former U.S. Small Business Administration’s Entrepreneur of the Year, a writer for Entrepreneur.com, and a guy who’s had his businesses featured in Fast Company, Forbes, and Bloomberg. However, I am actually a man-bear-pig who grew up in and out of poverty and who had to take both Algebra and his ACT three times just to get into college. My friend, if I can do this, you can too and I’m excited to show you how.

Definition Magician:

Poverty – pov-er-ty – The state of being extremely poor

The word poverty means different things to different people. Having traveled around the world, I have unfortunately met people who don’t have access to clean drinking water and who live outside in the elements permanently. However growing up, my family was what I would call American poor.

You must walk to the beat of a different drummer. The same beat that the wealthy hear. If the beat sounds normal, evacuate the dance floor immediately! The goal is to not be normal, because as my radio listeners know, normal is broke.

-Dave Ramsey

(Bestselling author, national radio talk show host, and financial expert)

We were not homeless, but only because of the generosity of countless family and friends who wanted to help my mom and dad because they were good people and of high integrity. As a kid, I remember numerous times when our bills were paid by somebody else and our clothes were provided by somebody else, but we were never homeless. I remember when my father, then in his late 30s, chose to deliver pizzas to provide for our family rather than go on government assistance. I remember the kids taunting me on the school bus about this and I remember feeling helpless. I remember making up stories and outright lies about what my dad did for a living so that I could defend him in some way. I remember repeatedly thinking to myself, Someday you morons are going to be poor too and when you are, I will be glad.

Fast-forward to my middle school and high school years. My family moved from Oklahoma to Minnesota so my mom could go to work for her sister, but we still never had money in the budget for the things I wanted, so I started selling gum and candy out of my locker in middle school. Our principal (I believe his name was Mr. Johnson) eventually banned the use of gum at school and thus I quickly learned about the Law of Supply and Demand. Because it was essentially illegal to have gum and candy, everyone now wanted it and I was the go-to guy. I made thousands of dollars selling gum and candy and I eventually moved up into the t-shirt game. Our local high school only sold lame, soulless, and politically correct t-shirts that were approved by our athletic department, so I started producing shirts that really captured the soul of the student body. I produced classy shirts that taunted our opponents and that the kids wanted to buy. In order to produce the shirts that the students wanted for which I had already taken orders, I had to learn all about Photoshop, kinds of t-shirts, heat presses, inventory management, order forms, and cash management.

You can’t connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.

-Steve Jobs

(Co-founder of Apple, the founder of NeXT and the former CEO of Pixar)

Fast-forward again to 1999. I was a non-Christian believer (at the time), and yet I still decided to attend a private Christian college called Oral Roberts University because it was as far away from my parents as I could get, my best friend and I agreed to be roommates, and because the school was based in the town in which I was born. Oral Roberts University is known for being the college that Homer Simpson’s neighbor, Ned Flanders, graduated from, the college that Kathie Lee Gifford (of Regis and Kathie Lee and the Today Show) attended, and that the Grammy Award winning recording artist Ryan Tedder (frontman for OneRepublic and songwriter for Adele, Beyoncé, U2, and countless others) graduated from. The school was named for its charismatic and Pentecostal televangelist founder, Oral Roberts. During my time at ORU, I discovered that approximately 80% of your college courses have no practical application to your life after college and that attempting to pay your own way through college is very tough.

In order to pay my way through college, I started a company called www.DJConnection.com.I grew the business to the point that we were actually providing entertainment for thousands of events per year (as many as 80 events on many weekends) before I decided to sell the company. I started out my DJ business by carrying around a backpack full of flyers. I would shove these flyers promoting my next dance party underneath the doors of each and every college student three times before each event. I held these events at the local Marriott Hotel located at the corner of 71st and Lewis in Tulsa, which was basically walking distance for most of the student body.

Start where you are, with what you have. Make something of it and never be satisfied.

-George Washington Carver

(The famous inventor who was born into slavery and who went on to invent countless uses for peanuts and sweet potatoes, which helped empower millions of poor families who then grew these crops as both their own source of food and income)

I did not have a business license to promote these events. I did not have the proper insurance in place to house over 500 people in one place at one time. I did not own any of my own DJ equipment (I didn’t even know how to properly operate the DJ equipment). But I had nothing to lose, so I produced incredible events that people loved to attend.

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.

- Walt Disney

(An American entrepreneur, animator, voice actor, and film producer. He was prominent within the American animation industry and famous throughout the world, and is regarded as an American cultural icon.)

Since selling www.DJConnection.com, I’ve gone on to start many successful ventures (www.EITRLounge.com, www.EpicPhotosTulsa.com, and www.MakeYourLifeEpic.com, just to name a few) and to coach thousands of business owners through the process of developing the duplicable and scalable best-practice business systems they need to have in place to grow. I’ve spent the majority of my working hours in conference rooms, workshops, and on the stage at public speaking events. However, when my son was born blind and since my dad lost the ability to use his arms, his legs, to feed himself, and even the ability to breathe on his own, it has become increasingly clear to me that my time on this planet is limited and I must teach these provable systems to people like you, faster.

PBS, CNNMoney, and countless news outlets have published articles showing that half of U.S. adults no longer believe in the American dream.¹ This is why I feel like I have a lot of work to do.

My friend, this can be your year and your time to thrive. However, YOU must commit to learning the proven systems, processes, controls, and strategies that you need to know to turn your big visions into reality, otherwise your big ideas will never become your reality. Once you learn these systems, you will find yourself enjoying more time freedom owning a company that is both fun to own and operate.

Hope when that moment comes, you’ll say...I did it all. I did it all. I owned every second that this world could give. I saw so many places, the things that I did. With every broken bone, I swear I lived.

-Ryan Tedder

(I Lived by OneRepublic)

Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s the determination and commitment to unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.

-Mario Andretti

(Retired Italian American world champion racing driver, one of the most successful Americans in the history of the sport. He is one of only two drivers to win races in Formula One, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship and NASCAR - the other being Dan Gurney).

Sign the commitment letter below² and you’ll begin to notice your life changing for the better.

I ________________________ (first and last name) commit to dedicating myself to investing the time needed to learn and implement these proven business systems and strategies into my own life and business.

Signature: _____________________

Date: _________________________

For accountability, take a picture of this signed page and email it to us at [e-mail].

**Quick disclaimer:

For your overall benefit, I have filled this book with 100% true examples and case studies taken from my work with real clients, real families, and real people like you. However, to protect the privacy and confidentiality of Thrivers all around the world, I have changed a few of the variables (names, genders, industries, and locations). Nevertheless, these are still 100% fact-based stories.

2.2 A Quick Summary of this Book

This book has been written to help you achieve massive, quick, and sustainable growth. However, if you really do desire to greatly enhance your life, your business, and your amount of financial and time freedom, you must give me permission to help by taking the actions prescribed in this book.

Phase 1 – Decrease Your Business’ Reliance Upon You

In order to build these world-class and duplicable systems, we are going to need to reduce your business’ reliance upon you. The first portion of the book will show you how. We will provide you with the practical tools, downloadables and templates that you need along the way, however you must commit to taking the action needed to turn your dreams into reality.

Phase 2 – Unlock Your Company’s Fast and Sustainable Growth Potential by Listening to Your Customers

During this portion of the book, we will show you how you can clearly identify the low-hanging fruit and the sustainable growth potential that is currently hidden within your own business, simply by listening to your current customers.

Phase 3 – Take the Limiters Off of Your Growth

Here we will teach you how to quickly identify and eliminate actual barriers, limiting beliefs, and systems that are causing your business to become stuck or to grow at a very slow annual growth rate. During this portion of the book, we will deep-dive into the very practical areas of HR, leadership, sales, marketing, Internet optimization, and much, much more.

Phase 4 – Optimize Your Personal Happiness and Personal Life Satisfaction

During this phase of the book, I will teach you how to optimize your quality of life in such a way that you are eager to start each day because you know it will be a day filled with meaning and purpose. Unfortunately, I have had the opportunity meet with thousands of clients all over the world who have copious amounts of money but very little time freedom and satisfaction with their overall quality of life. This doesn’t have to be your reality.

Before I knew how to build business systems that were not dependent upon on me. I used to pride myself on working at each and every tradeshow that our team went to. My wallet was happy, but my wife was not. Now I know that you can truly have both time and financial freedom. You can build a business model that is capable of working without you.

- Clay Clark

(3-Time Algebra-taker and the former U.S. SBA Entrepreneur of the Year)

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1. Simone Pathe, Why half of U.S. adults no longer believe in the American dream PBS.org, September 24, 2014, http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/why-half-of-u-s-adults-no-longer-believe-in-the-american-dream/

2. Sign commitment to invest the time it takes to implement the proven business systems

Phase 1

Section 3

"Personally, I feel overwhelmed. I started my own business so that I could be in control of